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PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD PRICE REGULATION AND RATIONING 


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The Answers to a Series of Questions Asked of a 


Nation-wide Cross-section of 4,734 Adult Persons 


Interviewing Periods: January 29, 1942 - February 11, 1942 

Date of Report: February 28, 1942 


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Study Planned and Summarized by the Polling Division, 
Bureau of Intelligence, OFFICE OF FACTS AND FIGURES> 
in Collaboration with the National Opinion Research 
Center of the University of Denver 


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Public Attitudes toward Price Regulation and Rationing 


Summary and Discussion 

Because of the virtual unanimity of opinion about 
rising prices since December, the anticipation of rising prices 
this next year, and the desirability of price regulation, it is 
difficult to provide meaningful breakdowns of these questions 
by factual information, or cross-tabulations with these ques¬ 
tions. This wall explain the dearth of breakdowns and cross¬ 
tabulations, which make sense schematically but are difficult 
statistically. 

Rising Nine out of every ten persons in a national cross- 

Prices 

section interviewed in January felt that prices had gone up 

since December. Virtually no one thought that prices had 

gone down . The uneducated are more inclined than the educa¬ 
ted to feel that prices have gone up, and the poor, more than 
the prosperous, felt the pinch of rising prices* Women, 
whether married or single, are more conscious of rising prices 
than men. As might be expected, married men feel more strongly 
than single men that prices have gone up. There are no signi¬ 
ficant differences of opinion on this question between urban 
and rural residents, nor are there between regions. 


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Six out of every ten persons interviewed thought that 
prices had gone up "quite a bit" . The uneducated more than the 
educated were inclined to feel that prices had gone up quite a 
bit since December. Those who thought that prices had gone up 
were asked what they thought was the chief reason for rising 
prices. More than 25 per cent thought that profiteering (people 
taking advantage of the situation) was responsible for rising 

prices . Hoarding, and shortages because of scarcity and added 
demands, were the next most frequently mentioned causes for- 
rising prices. About one in ten gave scarcity of labor and 
higher wages as the reason. Another 10 per cent answered in 
general terms — ’’the war”. The educated more than the unedu¬ 
cated are inclined to attribute this rise in prices to hoarding, 
and this is particularly the case among the better educated in 
the lower economic levels. 

That prices would continue to rise during this next 
year was anticipated by 70 per cent of the public. About 15 
per cent thought that prices would stay the same during the 
next year. This compares with 10 per cent who thought that 
prices had stayed the same since December. The educated more 
than the uneducated thought that prices would go up this next 
year and women more than men were inclined to anticipate a rise 
in prices. In all regions except the South, urban dwellers 
more than rural residents thought that prices would go up. 


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This was dramatically the case in the West North Central region* 
The Middle Atlantic region felt more strongly than any other 
that prices would go up this next year* There was some posi¬ 
tive correlation between thinking that the war would be a long 
war and anticipating a rise in prices during the coming year. 
This pattern of correlation between length of war and rise in 
prices was constant except in the case of respondents who felt 
that the war would last over five years. 

* Four out of ten interviewed felt that prices would go 

up quite a bit this next year and two out of ten thought that 

prices would go up a little . 

Almost 8 per cent of the persons interviewed thought 
that the question of rising prices "depends", and of these qual¬ 
ified answers two out of three persons thought that it depended 
upon what the Government does to control prices. The uneduca¬ 
ted felt more strongly than the educated that prices would go 
up quite a bit this next year. Urban dwellers more than rural 
residents felt that prices would go up quite a bit. The Middle 
Atlantic region, in addition to feeling more strongly than any 
other that prices would go up, is also more inclined to feel 
that prices will go up quite a bit. The pattern of correlation 
between length of war and rise in prices is also apparent in 
this question, for those who thought that the war would last a 
long time also felt that prices would go up quite a bit. 





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Price Regu- Government regulation of prices was generally favored 

lation 

by five of every six persons* And four out of every six persons 
interviewed favor Government regulation of salaries and wages * 
Those who felt that salaries and wages should be regulated al¬ 
most universally favored price regulation also. A clear major¬ 
ity of those who are opposed to salary and wage controls did, 
however, favor price controls. On the other hand, persons op¬ 
posed to price control tended also to oppose wage control. 

Those who favored Government regulation of salaries and wages, 
and prices, outnumbered those who were against both by ten to 
one. Those who are opposed to Government price regulation 
(6%) thought more than others that prices would go up this next 
year and were even more disposed to think that prices would 
go up quite a bit. Those who were against Government regula¬ 
tion of prices and also opposed to salary and wage controls 
tended more than others to expect a rise in prices this next 

year . Those who were in favor of regulating salaries, wages 
and prices, were least inclined to anticipate a rise in prices. 

Half of the persons interviewed either did not know 7 
whether or not the Government was regulating prices, or actu¬ 

ally believed prices were not being regulated . Men more than 
women, the educated more than the uneducated, and the urban 
residents more than the rural tended to believe that price 
regulation is in effect. 


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- 5 - 


Among those who did believe the Government was regu¬ 
lating prices> there were widespread differences as to the form 
this regulation was taking. Twenty-eight per cent thought that 

wholesale prices only were being controlled, but 50 per cent 
believed that both wholesale and retail prices were being regu¬ 
lated, and another 15 per cent thought that retail prices only 
were being controlled* Those who were unaware that the Govern¬ 
ment was regulating prices were less disposed than others to 
think that the question of rising prices this next year depends 
upon what the Government does to control prices, i. e., the 
possibility of controlling prices by Government regulation was 
less frequently mentioned by those who were unaware that the 
Government is already controlling prices. 

Rationing More than three-fourths of the persons interviewed 

felt that the rationing of tires by the Government was neces¬ 
sary. Ten per cent thought that tire rationing was unnecessary. 
Those who favored Government price regulation were more inclined 
to feel that the rationing of automobile tires by the Government 

was necessary. Those who favored regulation of salaries and 
wages in addition to prices were even more receptive to tire 




rationing. 




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